


Bella Swan, Knight in Shining Armor

by edytheelizabethcullen



Category: Life and Death - Stephenie Meyer, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, bella is the fluff and edythe is the angst, reuploaded
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:41:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25779862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edytheelizabethcullen/pseuds/edytheelizabethcullen
Summary: In the summer of 1993, one Bella Swan ventures into the woods of Forks, Washington and has her first adventure.
Relationships: Edythe Cullen & Bella Swan
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	1. Bella Swan, Knight In Shining Armor

Summer with her father was her least favorite part of the year, except when she got to spend the day with the Black children. Being around other kids was fun. Well, Jacob was fun. He was a buck toothed little boy who liked to play in the mud. Unfortunately, his sisters weren’t that fun. They just wanted to follow their mom around the house. 

Bella has decided to go into the woods. If they didn’t want to have adventures at home, she would just have to find some. She had convinced Jacob to make the great sacrifice of staying behind so that his mother wouldn’t notice her disappearance. When she left, he was complaining of heat, even though it was cloudy and windy. 

She didn’t like the cold, but there was movement in the trees that she wanted to follow. Through the woods, she was fairly sure that she saw a deer. How cool would it be to have a deer friend? She could be a princess like Aurora! _If I keep going, I’ll find a handsome prince!_ Bella told herself, determined and weaving through the trees. 

Once too close, the deer had run off. That didn’t stop Bella. Nor did a stream, or the crows’ angry squawks. Maleficent wasn’t going to use her minions to scare Bella off! She was a brave girl! If there wasn’t going to be a prince to save her, she could save herself. So long as she had courage, she could battle a dragon. Her mom didn’t need her dad, and her mom was the bravest! Bella didn’t need her dad either. 

A branch snapped, making Bella stop in her tracks. She did her best not to be scared, because it was probably just a rabbit. If deer were around, then bunnies were too. Bambi had a whole horde of bunny friends. She relaxed, smiled and went to see what was behind the tree. 

_Oh._ Bella thought as she came face to face with the most beautiful princess she had ever seen. She couldn’t contain her excitement. This was a real princess! She was totally a knight! Boys were stupid (except Jacob, who had been her way to adventure) and she was the best. She cleared her throat and did her best to sound powerful. “There’s a dragon in these woods. We have to get you to safety.” 

The princess’s golden eyes sparked with amusement and she crouched down to come eye-level with Bella. Unlike when adults did it, the princess didn’t look at her like a child. She was rigid in that pose, almost frozen. Bella frowned, “Don’t be scared! I’m Bella, a knight and it’s my job to protect princesses!” She took the girl’s hand and pulled. The older girl didn’t budge, which was weird because her dad always fell when Bella pulled at him! Maybe she was cursed? Princesses were always cursed! 

“Oh! Silly me!” Bella leaned in and kissed the girl’s cheek. “There! A kiss always breaks evil spells!” When Bella pulled her cold hand again, the princess moved. 

The Princess made a weird cat like noise, Bella couldn’t tell if it was a whine or a cough, but it didn’t stop her from going back where she came from. She had to get the Princess back home. “Where do you come from, little knight?” Her voice sounded like a song, which didn’t surprise Bella at all. Princesses always had pretty singing voices. 

“Ahhh,” Bella furrowed her eyebrows. “Sir Swan of Forks...ville. Forksville.” That sounded better than Office Swan in Forks, her dad was gonna be so jealous. Her title was much more Magical. Capital M and everything. She was killing this knight thing.

The clouds were starting to part and sun filled the woods. Bella grinned and went to stand on a rock, basking in the light. “I don’t usually live here, so getting even a hint of home is wonderful.” Bella gasped, because she had left the Princess in the shade, who looked like she was buttoning up. That wouldn’t too. 

She pulled the princess forward into the sun and her mouth dropped when the Princess started to sparkle. Bella couldn’t help the giggles that burst out of her, “You’re really magic! This is so cool! Jacob’s never gonna believe me!”

“Listen to me, Bella. You can’t ever tell people about my magic. Otherwise the old witch will find me again and take me far, far away.” The princess looked worried, so Bella held out her pinky finger. The princess smiled, interlocking her own pinky with Bella. “It’s a promise then.” 

She pushed herself back up, taking Bella’s hand again. “We have to get you home now. People are looking for you.” Her smile didn’t fade, so Bella nodded. Jacob couldn’t distract his mom for much longer and they had to get out of the woods before the mean witch came back for the princess. Or the Dragon. 

Bella pointed out where she saw the deer earlier and made the Princess laugh again. She had to admit, the princess’s laugh was the prettiest thing she had ever heard, which gave Bella an idea. “Will you sing for me, Princess?” 

The older girl nodded, which made her pretty red hair shake. Bella decided that the princess didn’t need a crown because her hair was shiny enough. Unfortunately, the princess didn’t sing but hum. It wasn’t what normal princesses did, but this was a special princess, so it was okay. It was a pretty tune too, so Bella didn’t mind. The Princess pulled at Bella’s hand and spun her around in twirls, making Bella break out in giggles again. 

She totally found the _best_ princess. 

Once they reached a clearing, the Princess stopped. “Your dad is over there, little knight. He’s looking for you, so you better go get him before you get into too much trouble.”

Bella frowned, she wanted to get the princess home first, but she didn’t want to get in trouble with Dad. He would be totally dumb about it and be mad. Bella leaned down to pick a long piece of grass and tied it around the princess’s finger, right where Dad wore his ring. “There! Now we’re married.” Bella smiled up at her princess, “Happily ever after, the end.” Blushing, Bella ran off before the Princess could object. 

Charlie closed his eyes and let out a breath of relief when he saw Bella come out of the woods. He picked her up in a big hug and she giggled. “I had a good day, Daddy.” She smiled big, doing her best to make sure her Dad didn’t get mad at her. 

“Where did you go?” He asked, getting that tone in his voice that meant he was upset with her. Bella frowned, because she hadn’t been gone for that long. 

“I was just playing, Daddy. The girls were supposed to find me, but they couldn’t so I won!” Bella couldn’t give up her Princess’s secret, not even to her dad. They had pinky promised! 

Her dad nodded and headed back to the road, not letting her out of his arms. Bella watched the trees for another look at her Princess but didn’t see anything. She huffed but asked her dad about his day. 

_**Eleven years later...** _

Bella started to tune out Jessica’s explanation when the lone girl came through the door. _Holy crow,_ Bella thought as her eyes widened when she realized who that was. Even though it was over a decade ago, Bella had never forgotten that face.

She stood, headed over to her girl. She looked nervous, so Bella smiled to calm her down. Her eyes flicked over the table at the range of adopted kids, two blondes glaring at her, a bulky brown boy who had eggs for whatever reason, and a petite little Asian who couldn’t stop smiling. Bella plopped down in the open seat next to the ginger girl, “I think we’re married.” 


	2. Edythe Cullen, Princess in Distress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the Summer of 1993, Edythe Cullen goes to Forks and almost kills a six year old.
> 
> aka Edythe's POV

Edythe had gone to Forks to make sure the house was okay. The rest of the family were still in Montana, but Esme had been worried about the alarm going off in their Forks home. It was one of her favorite places, so if someone had broken in, they needed to go fix it. 

But Esme had a silent auction going on for the local women’s shelter, so she had volunteered to go. Rose and Em would just make the place even more of a disaster, and Alice would just go thrifting in Seattle then leave Jazz with all the work. It was less suspicious if only one of them was gone anyways. 

So there she was, minding her own business as she fixed the window—Someone had broken in and took some blankets, food and the old record player. Edythe didn’t mind. They had a lot of junk from the last hundred years, and the family could afford to lose a few spare items. She just needed to ask Esme to check on the homeless shelter, see if they needed to sponsor another family.

The next thing she knew, she was in the woods following the best smell she had experienced in her _entire_ life. It was mouthwatering, if one could call it that. Just her luck that she couldn’t hear anyone, so it was safe. If it wasn’t a human, Edythe was free to hunt it. In the back of the predator’s mind, she was getting a little closer to the wolves’ territory then she was comfortable with, but she couldn’t help herself. Her throat burned. It felt like someone had set her throat on fire. 

When the little creature came into view, Edythe became a statue. She stopped all air coming into her body. It was a _child._

Edythe couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. She just thought it all out, trying to get control over herself. She couldn’t kill this little girl. Edythe didn’t kill innocents. She hadn’t had a drop of human blood in over fifty years. She helped Jasper control his own urges. There was no reason for her resolve to end now.

She regained control over her muscles, fighting every urge to rip the child apart. It would be so easy, no one was around. Edythe stared at the little girl, trying to hear anything. It was like she was fake, not even there. Nothing came from the spot like it should’ve. She was just talking away, making sounds like every other animal in the forest. 

The forest was empty of people for miles. It would be so easy to kill her. Bite the left carotid, directly connected to the aorta. She would die almost instantly, not feel any pain, not even have time to scream. The blood would be gone in minutes, slash the throat and drag the body away from the scene. Police would think she ran into a serial killer. No one would be the wiser, children died in the woods all the time. 

Just a _child._ Helpless, frail. Edythe pressed her thumb into the palm of her hand, digging into her skin. She couldn’t think like that, couldn’t kill the little girl. She thought Carlisle, his disappointment over her actions. Of Rose, who was able to kill seven men without drinking from them and had the control to save Emmett. Esme’s face when she learned what her daughter did, never being able to look at her the same way again. 

“...Have to get you to safety.” Rejoining whatever rant the child had been on, Edythe laughed internally, bending down to get on her level. As if God was testing her, the wind shifted, shoving the girl’s scent right in her face. Edythe went rigid again, hiding the pain of her burning throat. The girl kept talking, even pulled on her hand, but Edythe couldn’t risk moving or breathing. What it looked like to the child, she had no idea. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t hear. 

She was just a monster, and this was her prey. Carlisle would forgive her. Rose would judge her, but did she even care what Rose thought? Esme, though. Even with all the love in her heart, knowing an innocent child had been murdered would break her. She would blame herself, since this was a favor for her. Esme was her second mother, someone who always took care of her.

Edythe turned her face away from the scent, listening to the rest of the forest, trying to find anything that could distract her. The river, up the hill. The squirrel, straight up from them in a tree. No humans like she had thought. Just the child in front of her and no witnesses. 

Then the little girl kissed her cheek, startling her. She looked down at the little brunette, happy and talking about fairy tales. Was the child trying to end up dead? Edythe allowed herself to be pulled, rather than focusing on her stillness, she had to control her bloodlust. It wasn’t like she was starving, but it had been long enough to make her question it. A hungry whine unleashed from her throat. Edythe had to get the child home, away from her. 

“Where do you come from, little knight?” She asked, then bit the inside of her cheek. Pain would keep her settled, just until she could leave the little girl and find a mountain lion. She just needed to control herself long enough to get the child away from her. Bella kept talking as she walked, and Edythe maintained control. 

The clouds were starting to leave the sky, so thankfully Edythe had something else to worry about. There was no need for her to find out about sparkling skin. It was disgusting, how inhuman it was. The little girl had left her in the shade, distracted by her own words. Edythe used the time to pull down her sleeves and button up her collar. Unfortunately, it made her lose track of Bella, and the little girl pulled her into the light. 

_Ah,_ an excuse to kill the child. Exposure. Could anyone blame her, really? She was doing what she must to protect their race. Logically, she knew that no one would believe a little girl who saw a sparkling princess in the woods. Still, that part of her mind told her that this was her chance. She could kill Bella before the child had any idea what was happening.

Edythe waited for the inevitable scream, but instead heard giggles. When she looked down at Bella, the brunette was laughing and talking about magic. Sure, children believed in stuff like that, but how could she see something pure? If there was one thing vampires weren’t, it was good. She couldn’t put this girl in any more danger, there was no way she was finding out about vampires. 

“Listen to me, Bella. You can’t ever tell people about my magic. Otherwise the old witch will find me again and take me far, far, far away.” Edythe made sure the worry was clear in her tone as she mixed her fairy tales. Bella was already in a weird mix of Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White. When she held out her pinky finger, Edythe closed her eyes and smiled before completing the pinky promise. Kids were pure, there was no way she could destroy this little girl. 

“It’s a promise then.” Edythe stood, taking Bella’s hand this time. She could hear others now; they were close enough to the wolves that she knew people were looking for Bella. “We have to get you home now. People are looking for you.” She had control now, with this burning sensation ending soon. On their way to the treaty line, Bella would point out where she saw animals, which she couldn’t not laugh at. It was nice to see real human joy. Vampires didn’t get to interact with happy kids much. 

When Bella asked her to sing, Edythe shook her head. There was no way she could deny this little girl. She wasn’t an immortal child, but she had the charisma of one. Edythe couldn’t sing, though, so she made up a melody for the little girl. 

Edythe stopped just before the treaty line, near a clearing of the woods. She squatted down to be in Bella’s line of sight and pointed at the man screaming her name. “Your dad is over there, little knight. He’s looking for you, so you better go get him before you get into too much trouble.”

The little girl seemed upset but bent down to get something. She took her hand and tied something around her ring finger. “There! Now we’re married.” Bella smiled brightly and continued, ignoring the shock on her face. “Happily ever after, the end.” Bella’s cheeks flushed with color, and Edythe’s throat burned again. As if it was a miracle, though, Bella ran off into her father’s arms. Before seeing the two reconnect, Edythe left the area, not being able to stand the child’s blood for much longer. 

She didn’t stop until she was back in Montana. Next time, Alice was in charge of taking care of the house. At least her powers didn’t leave her vulnerable to killing a child. 

_**Eleven years later…** _

The new girl had been in everyone’s thoughts all day. Edythe had already mapped out her face from the images in everyone else’s mind. Their version of her was different, of course. They couldn’t see what she could. She raised her eyes from the floor as she moved into the cafeteria, searching out the person that everyone had become so interested in. 

Bella Swan was looking at her. Edythe turned away, wondering why that name sounded so familiar. She searched her mind as she sat down, frowning. Alice was wondering how Jasper was doing with their little experiment, but she was busy and ignored her sister. Emmett was counting his absolutely ridiculous baby eggs. Jasper was imagining how to kill a girl and Rosalie was mapping out the logistics of how to make a Volvo go as fast as her M3. 

The problem with living so long with everyone else’s thoughts in your head is that everything stayed there. Not only did she have to weed out her own useless thoughts, she had to weed out everyone else’s too. Whatever the name was, it was connected to this town. The last time she had been here was— _Edythe!_ Alice called out, cutting through my thought process—but it was too late. Bella was already sitting down.


End file.
